This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 091104438, filed Mar. 8, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a rotating apparatus, and more particularly, to a rotating apparatus utilizing magnetic components.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the modern electronic products, it is desirable to design a cover that can protect the important elements of the electronic products, such as the LCD screen and keypad, from dust and other pollutants that can have damaging effects. In addition, the cover assembled on the electronic product can vary the aesthetic appearance, by allowing for flexibility in the exterior design. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flip-type cellular phone. The flip-type cellular phone 100 includes a phone body 110, flip cover 120, and a rotating apparatus 130 for connecting the flip cover 120 and the phone body 110. As shown by the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, the rotating apparatus 130 allows the pivoting of the flip cover 120 on the phone body 110, and the opened condition or closed condition of the cellular phone 100 can be achieved. Generally, the conventional design of rotating apparatus 130 includes a cam-spring hinge or a cam-leaf spring hinge. Hence, the cellular phone 100 possesses the snap characteristic, wherein the flip cover 120 in a certain angle is snapped into the fully-opened position or fully-closed position.
This conventional design, however, suffers from several drawbacks. After frequent usage, the conventional cam-spring hinge will gradually lose the property of returning to the initial state following deformation. Also, the cam can wear out easily with time. The worn cam will reduce the deformable state of the spring, and consequently decrease the elastic force generated by the deformed spring. Therefore, both issues of wear with time and elasticity decay will shorten the utility life span of the rotating apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a simple structure of the magnetic rotating apparatus for replacing the conventional cam-spring hinge, so that the cover of the applied product can be semi-automatically opened and closed. Moreover, the conventional bulky hinge is substituted by the pivot portion of the magnetic rotating apparatus, and the overall size of applied product is greatly reduced.
The invention achieves the above-identified objects by providing a magnetic rotating apparatus for connecting a body portion and a rotating portion of a foldable product. The body portion has an assembling portion, and the rotating portion has a pivot portion. The rotating portion is secured to the body portion by engaging the pivot portion with the assembling portion, so that the rotating portion can pivot on the body portion and be positioned at a first stable equilibrium or a second stable equilibrium. The magnetic rotating apparatus comprises a magnetic body component situated in the assembling portion, and a magnetic pivot component situated in the pivot portion. The magnetic body component and the magnetic pivot component are disposed as mates. Also, the opposite surfaces of the magnetic pivot component and the magnetic body component have the same polarity. When the rotating portion and the body portion are maintained at the first stable equilibrium, the magnetic pivot component is positioned at one side adjacent to the magnetic body component. When the rotating portion and the body portion are maintained at the second stable equilibrium, the magnetic pivot component is positioned at the other side adjacent to the magnetic body component.